Only Exception
by Magical Me6666
Summary: He was her first everything. Sam/Freddie pairing, hints at Carly/Freddie from time to time.


**Title:** Only Exception

**Summary: **He was her first everything.

**Rating: **M to be safe.

**A/N: **This story will primarily focus on the relationship between Freddie and Sam, with hints of Freddie/Carly. If you don't like the pairing don't read. It'll be a multi-chapter thing.

**Suggested Playlist: **Inevitable; Amberlin, Boston; Augustana, You Got Some Growin' Up To Do; Joshua Radin, Falling For You; Colbie Caillat, Rabbit Heart; Florence and The Machine, Beautiful Los Angeles; Garrison Starr, Just Say Yes; Snow Patrol, Anywhere But Here; Safetysuit, Misguided Ghosts; Paramore, On The Wing; Owl City, The Only Exception; Paramore, All I Wanted; Paramore

_I wanna be your last first kiss, that you'll ever have_

If Sam Puckett thinks about it too much she realises that she does in fact need some people in her life. She's always prided herself on being pretty self sufficient and independent. Carly was the first person to change that for her. She entered her life abruptly and abrasively and was annoying as hell. Carly wasn't scared of Sam, nor did Sam's relentless teasing bother her raven haired best friend.

It really pissed Sam off.

But in the end it turned out that Sam kind of needed a best friend. But only a little. If Carly went away tomorrow it wouldn't bother her. Well. Only kinda. She still likes to think she's got a pretty hard heart, and even harder head. Then Spencer came along with Carly like one of those stupid toys you get in with your Happy Meal. You don't want it, it's kind of useless, and just sits there looking at you with a goofy grin on its face. But Sam promised herself that he too would mean nothing to her. He was her best friend's older brother - that was it. No emotional attachments. Then she started thinking about what it would be like if she had an older brother. It all went downhill from there. Spencer Shay quickly became someone she would go to quicker than her own mother if she had a problem her fellow 15 year old friend would not be able to fix. Plus it was kind of funny to see how he reacted when she told him she had women's troubles.

So there it was. Her little make believe family that she was kind of, sort of, not really, but totally attached too. She made a mental note - that was it. No one else was allowed in and she was intent on keeping that promise to herself. Too many people meant too many opportunities to be left. Just look at her dad and all the other "dads" after. So it was actually kind of unfortunate that Fredward Benson just had really bad luck and timing. If maybe he'd made an appearance before said promise he might have stood a chance. But only maybe and she'd have probably still beaten the crap out of him from time to time. He did have a face that she really wanted to punch. She felt a little bit sorry for the dork. So she kept him at arm's length, making it abundantly clear on their first meeting (she kneed him in his testicles) that they were not and would never be friends.

But bless the little nerd he just kept trying. Like one of those dopey dogs that doesn't understand after you've hit it on the nose for the hundredth time. He did little things for her (obviously not enough that anyone else would notice cos then he'd be a sap as well as being a dork), but enough to let her know he was not giving up. He was gonna do anything for that belly rub even it meant being hit a few more times with the paper. The night he saw her crying at Carly, she went home to discover an emailed copy of her Geography assignment (that was due the next day, and Freddie knew she just hadn't even attempted), sitting in her inbox with a cover note reading "This isn't cos I like you or anything." She remembers not wanting to smile, by God she fought the smile, but still. Her lips curved as she hit print. It was the only A Samantha Puckett ever received in Geography.

The next time he did anything else sweet for her was when a boy made fun of her in the corridor for being "a freak." It didn't offend her, nothing much did. She had a wall up, and words certainly weren't enough to get through. Especially mean words. But for some reason the Nerd took great offence. Just as Sam was about to turn and walk away (Carly had just painted her nails for the first time, and she sure as hell wasn't going to ruin them for some dick in the corridor who clearly just had a crush on her) Fredward Benson had pounced. He backed the boy, who in fairness towered over Benson and had an unfair advantage from the start, into the locker with a resounding clunk. Sam turned shocked, and watched as punches were thrown and both boys ended up rolling on the ground like the wrestling matches she watched on TV. Too shocked to do anything, it was left to Carly to pull them apart. She remembers the mess made of Freddorks face. His lip poured blood, his cheek marked red, but he was still fighting off anyone who tried to hold him back. Finally she reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Benson," she said, with a tone in her voice she'd never heard before. He turned sharply, his breath laboured, eyes locked on hers. "What the hell?"

"You don't talk to girls like that," he replied simply. Something in his eyes was something she didn't recognise the boy she'd come to know. It was primal, an instinct. He was protecting her. Any other girl would swoon but Samantha Puckett instead swung a punch at his shoulder.

"You idiot. Now everyone's gonna think we're going out." He rubbed the spot she hit. It seemed to hurt more than his bloodied lip and cheek.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I don't like people messin' with my friends."

And there it was. The word she dreaded. Friend. Ok she would admit. Fredward Benson was her friend. But only cos he'd taken a punch for her. She wasn't sure what it proved but it proved something. She remembers looking at the bright red blood dripping from his face. It looked sore and she had this ridiculous urge to reach out wipe the blood away. Instead she kept her hand in a firmly clenched fist down by her side. Besides, Carly had swooped in and was now playing Nurse of the Year 2007. And Freddie looked pretty pleased with that. She probably wasn't any good at looking after people when they were hurt anyway, considering she was the one usually doing the hurting.

Oddly she remembers thinking that he was the first boy to ever defend her. And the last. She kind of liked it.


End file.
